From The Ashes We Rise
by shortcookie73
Summary: Sixteen years ago, a virus spread throughout the country that nearly destroyed the human race. Now, Rachel and Quinn are telling their children the story of how they survived, lost loved ones along the way, and eventually found love. Faberry.
1. Mommy, Can We Know?

**Author's Notes: Hello Everyone! Firstly, this is not your typical zombie story. Honestly, the idea for this fic came to me after I saw the trailer for Chernobyl Diaries, and I just had to write it. I liked the idea of there being stages to the sickness, and I liked that the people did not look like people of the undead. Now, some things will differ from the movie of course since it has not been released, and I have not seen it, but mostly the only big change that I will most likely have is how the virus is passed. **

**Now, other characters may make appearances later on, but I will warn you that there will be some character death. All I know is that two other characters besides Faberry will survive. Everything else, well, is a surprise for us all! Let us see where the writing will take me. This is my first fic, so I am both excited and nervous. **

**Last but not least, I do not own Glee or Chernobyl Diaries, so do not sue me. All I own are my characters Hunter, Daniel, and Sophia. **

When Rachel walked through the door of her home, she was immediately greeted by two small voices calling her. The small diva smiled and shook her head at the eagerness of her two children. She had barely walked through the entry way before they were already announcing her presence which meant only one thing, they wanted something. After setting her purse down on the small dark wood table against the wall only a few feet away from the door, Rachel began to walk towards the living room which is where all the commotion seemed to be coming from. Her suspicions were proven to be correct when she was greeted with the sight of her beautiful wife and two children nestled on one of the two couches in front of the television.

"Why hello everyone, dare I ask what all the ruckus is about?" Rachel walked over, and sat down next to her wife of nearly fifteen years now. Her short choppy blonde hair whipped around before she was met with hazel eyes and shy smile. Rachel gave her wife a sweet kiss, but the moment was quickly squashed when she heard a chorus of boos from the mouths of their children. The couple pulled away from each other, and Rachel turned her head to address the two little trouble makers who were clearly eager for something to occur. Immediately, Rachel raised up her right hand in the motion to stop any words that were about to come out of their mouths. "Before I hear anything, I do expect you to at the very least say hello and greet your mother whom you have not seen since this morning." The two children giggled before simultaneously jumping into their mommy's lap. "Oof," was the only sound that was heard from Rachel while Quinn let out a small laugh next to her before speaking for the first time since her wife had walked through the door. "You did ask for a greeting, honey. With how excited they have been since the moment you walked through the door, you should've known this would happen." Rachel only playfully rolled her eyes in response before redirecting her full attention back to her son and daughter.

The Fabray family included three children. There was the oldest, Hunter who was nineteen, the middle son Daniel, who was ten, and then the youngest of the bunch, Sophia who was eight. Hunter was adopted by Rachel and Quinn when he was four years old, and oddly enough has a striking resemblance to Quinn with his blonde hair, light complexion, and green eyes. He stood at around six feet tall, and was incredibly protective of his mothers. Currently, he was not very happy with his job in the armed forces keeping him away from the two of them, but both Rachel and Quinn reminded him constantly that they were perfectly fine whenever he would be able to call. Daniel idolized his older brother, but his personality was much more similar to Rachel's than anyone else's. From the expressive brown eyes to his ability to out-talk anyone in his class, he was a spitting image of his mother which lead to him getting away with more things than he should whenever it came to Quinn. Last of the bunch was Sophia who was much more like her mom than her mommy. She had beautiful blonde hair, light brown eyes, along with a light tan skin. Personality wise she was much more of an introvert and observer than she was anything else. Nine times out of ten, her mothers would find her buried within of a book or asking Quinn to teach her more about cameras.

"Okay you two," Rachel spoke while adjusting both of her children to ensure that everyone was comfortable. Daniel was sitting on the light brown couch on Rachel's right side while Sophia was sharing both Rachel and Quinn's lap. "What exactly are you both so excited about?" Neither parent was surprised when the verbose Daniel was the first to respond. "In history class today mommy they talked about the virus and attack that you, mom, and Hunter survived, and Sophie and me wanted to know the story. Please?" As if on cue and rehearsed Sophia's light voice chimed in with a, "Pretty please?" Rachel tilted her head to the side to get a glance at her wife and the silent question was immediately passed between the two women. "I told them that they had to wait until you got home to ask you before giving them an answer. We knew this day would come. I mean, we do still live on the reservation." The smaller brunette sighed. She had known that her children would one day ask questions about the virus that threatened to wipe out the human race and civilization, but she was hoping that she could spare them from the violence of the ordeal for just a little bit longer. When she turned her head back to see the excited and expecting faces of her two children, she knew that she couldn't keep it away from them anymore. They lived in a very different world now than they did when Quinn and her were growing up. Now, the sense of nativity that children at once grew up with was gone at a much earlier age, but what else could be expected when just beyond the reservation walls monsters remained? All children were taught at the age of five what those monsters were, and by the age of eight they were beginning to learn basic survival training in order to protect themselves. No, the world very much wasn't what it once was.

Quinn ran her fingers through her daughter's long blonde hair and revealed a small smile. She knew that their children had won this battle right from the beginning, but she also knew that this story would not be a simple one for either one of them to tell. It is long, grueling, and involves a lot of loss, but there was only so long you can tell two very curious children "until you're older" before they begin to get frustrated. Especially when one of those children held as much patience as one of his mothers, and anyone that knew Rachel would be able to say that patience was not exactly her biggest strength. The story wasn't all bad when the blonde woman looked back on it now. Yes, there was a lot of death and multiple times where neither one of them knew whether or not they would make it out alive, but if it wasn't for the outbreak many things would not have occurred. Quinn perhaps wouldn't be married to the beautiful woman she was today, and they wouldn't have found Hunter who is a very large part of their family. It took Quinn and even the normally optimistic Rachel quite some time to fully appreciate the good that came out of the bad, but eventually they got there.

Daniel looked at his mom expectantly which successfully pulled his mommy out of her daydream and back to what he really wanted. Rachel closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before nodding her head. "I suppose that it is time that you both were told our story, but I am only allowing this because Sophie has just started with her survival training, and I believe that you both are mature enough to handle such serious matters as this. There may be moments when a certain situation will be very hard for your mom and I to relive, but we will do our best. Also, I do not want you bragging about this or sharing your mom and I's story to all of your friends. This is very private, and we do not want it to be used as some challenge of war stories on the playground. Do you both understand?" Both children eagerly nodded in response to their mommy's question which was enough of a confirmation for Rachel. It was obvious that they were both listening, and they would most likely be hanging on every word that was spoken to them for the next couple of hours. Luckily, it was not a school night, since this will most likely take awhile.

Rachel made sure that she was comfortable before preparing herself to tell the tale that has never been really told. It wasn't something that was enjoyable to relive, but her children deserved to know the truth about their family. This did afterall effect them too. "Aright, well, we will start from the beginning. Quinn, dear, feel free to interject whenever you want to add something. It all started when I was a freshman in college in New York City..."


	2. Radical Scientist?

**Author's Notes: First things first, thank you to all of those who put alerts on my story and left me comments. They are definitely a comment booster! **

**Secondly, some small things about this chapter. Quinn is aware of her feelings for Rachel, but Rachel is not yet aware of her feelings for Quinn. They are of course very much there, but Rachel may need to be hit in the face with them before she realizes them. I am a big fan of character development, so hang in there. We will eventually get to our faberry being together times! Also, Quinn's story and the beginning of her journey is up next! **

**Lastly, ****I still do not own Glee or Chernobyl Diaries, so do not sue me. All I own are my characters Hunter, Daniel, and Sophia. **

_Monday. Three Days Until The Outbreak - _

Rachel was sitting on her bed in her dorm room talking on the phone with Quinn. After senior year, the two had become rather close friends, and since they were the only gleeks in the area, they found comfort in each other. It was always nice to have a familiar face near by, especially in a city as big as New York. The diva was flipping through the channels of her television until she finally settled on Fox. Being able to hear the Television, Quinn giggled on the line. "May I inquire as to what you find so humorous, Quinn Fabray?"

On the other end of the phone, Quinn was laying down on her bed staring at the ceiling. She was trying to desperately keep her feelings in check which was becoming more of a challenge each day the former HBIC got closer to Rachel. Never before did Quinn think she would miss the façade that she was able to pull off so often during her earlier years of high school. At least then she would be able to put on her ice cold exterior, even if that also came with the side effect of being a bitch. The sound of Rachel's television broke her out of her stupor, and she couldn't help but let a giggle escape. "Rachel, how many times a day do you watch the news? I'm sure not much could've changed from early this morning." When Quinn heard the unmistakable huff from the other end of the phone, she new that she was in for a classic Rachel Berry rant. In the past, she would've found this completely annoying, but now all she did was get herself comfortable in her bed. She even found the little display of aggravation cute. Yeah, she had it bad.

"Quinn! It is important for one to always stay updated on current events. Not only does it show that you are educated, but it is simply a necessity. How exactly am I supposed to plan for my day tomorrow if I do not know the weather? Or, what if I come across a professor who also has an affinity for current events, and I completely embarrass myself because I know nothing about what is going on in the world except for what Barbra tweeted about the previous day. It is crucial to always be prepared, Quinn."

Only when Quinn was positive that Rachel was done with her rambling, she didn't need to further rile up the starlet by interrupting her, she spoke. "Alright, alright Rae. Just breathe. Why don't you just tell me what's new in the world?"

"One moment Quinn." Rachel was completely focused on the television as one of the news anchors stood outside of Mount Sinai Hospital. He was speaking about how it appears a bacteria or infection of some sort has spread to some New Yorkers. The news and doctors apparently found it important to alert the public of the signs of the sickness, so they can get to an ER as quickly as possible. "Excuse me Quinn, but it appears as if some sort of infection is spreading throughout the city. Just in case this is another situation like the Swine Flu, I want to warn you of the symptoms that I was just told. The early stages involve nausea, disorientation, and some sort of rash that causes one's skin to peel and bleed. It sounds rather painful. I do not know why people would not use their common sense and go to the hospital at this point, but apparently it is serious if the news found it necessary to warn the public and risk causing a panic. Perhaps I will go to the campus health services tomorrow and acquire one of those face masks to ensure that I do not come into contact with whatever this may be. They do not know how the infection is being spread, but I do not want to take any chances. What if this has the potential to damage my voice? I cannot go through what I went through junior year again. That was terrifying, and I…"

As soon as the former cheerleader heard Rachel begin to panic about her voice, she knew that if she didn't stop her soon the diva could go into the full rant about her career and five year plan, which Quinn was positive she nearly had memorized at this point. So, she cut her off before she could get to that point. "Rachel…. Rachel! Again, breathe. We don't even know what this is yet. Let's just see what they continue to tell us and go from there."

Rachel rolled her eyes in response to Quinn's words. How the blonde could always be so care free these days, most would call it rational, was beyond her. "I am simply stating that I want to take every precaution possible. It is better to be safe than sorry."

"That is true Rae. I just didn't want you already thinking that you were going to become mute," Quinn spoke as she closed her eyes and attempted to keep her own frustrations at bay. As much as she had come to care for Rachel, she didn't want to have to calm her down from one of her full on panic attacks. Yes, she may have admitted to herself that she found her ramblings cute, but that didn't mean that it couldn't be exhausting when the singer flew off the handle. "Now, are you still wanting me to come visit this weekend?"

Just at the mere mention of Quinn coming to New York City this Friday made Rachel squeal with excitement. It was now half way through her semester at NYADA, and in her opinion it has been far too long since she has seen the blonde. If she was being honest with herself, she missed the other girl more than she ever believed she would. "Of course! I cannot wait until you arrive, Quinn. I have so many things planned for us to do. There is so much that I want to show you!"

Quinn was positive that she could see Rachel sitting on her bed absolutely overcome with excitement and lightly clapping her hands in that moment. The thought caused a small smile to adorn her face. "Then, I will see you Friday afternoon. You will be picking me up from Grand Central station, right?"

"Yes, Quinn! Your train arrives promptly at five pm which gives me approximately an hour and a half to meet you after my last class. It works out perfectly." Rachel looked at the time and gave out a small sigh. "Sadly, I must cut this conversation short. If I do not practice my piece for my vocal lesson tomorrow morning, I am positive my professor will have my head. She would give Coach Sylvester a run for her money when it comes to being strict, but I cannot say I mind. I always accept a challenge."

Quinn looked at the time on the screen of her phone and knew that she should get some of her work done as well. "Yeah, I should go too. My paper on my opinions about the standards of today's society is not going to write itself unfortunately. I'll talk to you later Rae."

"Goodbye Quinn! Four days!" With that, she ended the phone call, and as always she was smiling thinking of none other than her friend, Quinn Fabray.

_Thursday. The Day of the Outbreak - _

It was a day like every other. Yes, everyone says that about the day something terrible happens, but it was true. When Rachel woke up that day, she did not think that in a few short hours she would have to fight for her life. The past months in New York City were amazing while she was attending NYADA. The experience was everything that she had hoped it would be and more. That day, the petite singer woke up at seven in the morning, so she could prepare for her theater appreciation class which was at nine. Rachel went through her routine without any problems and was out of her dorm building by eight thirty.

As Rachel walked towards the building where her class was held, she could not shake the unnerving feeling that something was going to go drastically wrong that day. She wasn't sure what would happen exactly, but she knew it would not be good. Rachel always firmly believed in her sixth sense, so for the rest of the day, she determined that she would be on guard in order to be prepared for whatever was to come about. She had no idea that what she would be facing was the possible end of the human race.

Everything happened so quickly after her class. Once she was dismissed, Rachel packed up her bag, and then began heading out of the classroom. It wasn't until she entered the main lobby of the building that she heard a horrible scream. That was the moment when all hell broke loose. In the blink of an eye, panic set in amongst the people around her. Everyone began running in all directions, pushing and banging into Rachel in the process. The petite girl still had no idea as to why everyone was so terrified, but as she turned around towards the glass doors of the building, her question was answered. Outside there were people running away from other people who at a first glance appeared to be normal, but when she took a closer look she realized that the other people looking as if they were sick. What was happening? Was there some sort of sports event that caused a riot? The singer knew nothing about athletics, but she did know that New York was well known for this baseball team or something or other. When Rachel saw one of the sickly people bite into the neck of a New Yorker, Rachel knew that something was not right. Last she checked, cannibalism was not a new and upcoming trend.

Rachel quickly ran to the nearest bathroom in order to collect her thoughts and make some sense out of the events she had just witnessed. As soon as Rachel entered the bathroom, she internally rolled her eyes at herself. Honestly, what was it about bathrooms that made them her safe haven and go to place? She quickly shook her head to dismiss these thoughts. Now was not the time to psychologically evaluate herself. The singer tried to rack her brain to see if any of this made sense. Suddenly, she remembered the infection that the news had spoken about three days ago. The sickly people did look more pale than a usual human would appear, and their skin was not in a condition that would be used for a Dove lotion commercial. Could this all be from some infection? No information has been released about the disease since she last heard about it. In fact, the news appeared to purposely be avoiding any discussion about the matter. What was happening? Rachel Berry needed answers, and she was determined to get them. With new determination and her head held high, Rachel walked out of the bathroom and back into the crowded hallway.

All of the people were causing such a commotion and panic around her, that she quickly decided that she would use their irrational thinking to her advantage. The fact that she acted so calm and in control is something that will later cause her much confusion, but at that moment it appeared that Rachel's body quickly went into survival mode. Rachel stayed calm and quickly made her way down the east hallway of her building which would lead to another exit into a back alley. Rachel quietly moved towards the door, looked out of the small window the best she could, and once she determined that no sickly people were near by, Rachel pushed the door open as quietly as possible.

After exiting the building, she walked quietly but quickly in the direction of her dorm building. The tiny brunette never in her life thought that she would be prepared for what appears to be a medical warfare of some sort, but she was never in her life more thankful for her decision to memorize every possible route she could take to her classes from her dorm than she was in that moment. The fast pace walk was filled with a lot of contemplation for Rachel. If the sickly people were biting other humans, it could be assumed that the virus was transmitted through some sort of DNA transfer. This entire situation left the vegan Rachel Berry with a very horrifying revelation and difficult decision. It would appear that the nonviolent, petite Rachel would have to fight in order to survive. She would need to perhaps take a life in order to keep her own. Just as Rachel came to this conclusion, she passed by a store that sold hunting equipment. She saw some men jumping out of the door carrying as much ammunition and weapons as possible, and Rachel figured that she might as well follow their lead just in case. Since her separation from Finn, Rachel no longer has a man who can be her lead. Now, she is going to have to learn how to be her own knight and try to do the best that she can.

Rachel walked into the store and saw that most of the major weapons have already been taken from the store, but as she scans the store she sees something that very much catches her eye. Her eyes land upon a bow along with some arrows. During her times at sleep away musical camp when she was younger, she had taken a few classes of archery, but the bows that she dealt with were never as advanced as the one she was eying. Not having much time to debate over this, Rachel grabbed the blue bow, put the strap of it around her shoulder, took an arm guard off of the wall, grabbed as many arrows as she could, and then put them in a brown arrow carrying bag which also went over her shoulder. She then grabbed a duffle bag from the shop and filled it with some small women's cargo pants, under armour shirts, a gun holster belt, an FS Herstal FNP-9, a Walther P99. , ammunition, a hunting knife, and then threw some more arrows in the bag. After she grabbed everything that she thought could be useful in this time of crisis, Rachel left the shop as soon as she heard another scream.

Just as she left the store, she turned to her right and saw one of the diseased people coming straight towards her direction. Rachel didn't think twice before she turned and ran as quickly as she could. Luckily, being a dancer as well as a singer meant that she had to be in very good shape along with good breathing control, so she had the stamina to continue at the fast pace until she made it to her dorm. She had to take many back alley ways and zig zag multiple times, but she had finally made it. She swiped her student ID card to allow her access into her building, and as soon as it opened, she closed it to ensure that none of the infected could get in behind her.

It appeared that there were only three or four girls in the building which Rachel knew was not a good thing. If the other girls did not arrive before dark, the likelihood that they survived this horrible ordeal was very slim. Rachel went into her dorm room, and that is when the state of shock wore off. Everything hit her like a ton of bricks. She dropped her equipment, and then just fell onto her bed. When her face hit her soft pillow, the first tear fell which was soon followed by a full on sob. Rachel's petite body fiercely shook from the intensity of her crying until she finally was able to get a hold on her emotions. She then turned on the television to see if the news could tell her anything about what caused this, and luckily there was a news broadcast just beginning.

**This is Fox news with Jane Gooding and Jorge Sanchez. We interrupt your scheduled television programming to bring you an important update on the virus situation. It appears that the infection is an attack from a radical scientist who believes that the human race is currently doing more damage to the world than giving anything back to it. He believed that it was his duty to assist mother nature protect the world by whipping out the biggest threats and offenders of the maltreatment to the planet. This is what is believed to be the root of the disease that is now threatening the lives of civilians everywhere. This is all we have to offer at the moment. We will attempt to keep you updated as much as possible during this time of crisis. You heard this here first on Fox news.**

Her thoughts immediately wondered back to Lima and her fathers. She needed to know if they were alright. Had the virus made it all the way to Ohio? Were they safe? A million and one questions soared through her mind. Then, Rachel immediately switched gears and remembered Quinn. Connecticut was not far away from New York, so it was of course possible that the virus had reached her. Her mind immediately filled with dread and worry. The diva pulled her phone out of her bag and attempted to call her fathers first, but it was no use. Many people must be trying to do exactly what Rachel was in this moment which was clogging the servers. The only way she could know how they were and let them know that she was okay was for her to make her to find a way back to Lima. Rachel's mind briefly wondered about the other members of her second family, New Directions, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. The thought that she may have lost some of them was as well too much for her to bear at the moment. If she was going to get to Lima and survive all of this, she needed to focus.

That night, Rachel raided the vending machines in her dorm for food to hold her over for a few days. She also still had food in her mini fridge and around her room since she had luckily gone shopping two days before all of this had happened. For the next three days, Rachel practiced her aim and learned how to use her weapons by practicing a bit in the basement of her dorm buildings where the laundry rooms were. It wasn't long before Rachel grasped the concepts of all the weapons. Thanks to her determination and constant need for perfection, Rachel's aim was soon impeccable. She felt secure when she held the bow in her right hand and the sharp arrow in her left. The fact that she could fire and take down a threat from long range with much more accuracy than a pistol didn't hurt either. Now, all Rachel had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to make her move towards Lima. Rachel Barbra Berry was for now alone, but she hoped that not everyone she held close was gone.


	3. I'm late, but I'm Almost There

**Author's Notes: Once again, a big thank you to all of you who added my story to your favorites, put alerts on my story, or wrote comments! It's wonderful to know that there are other's out there embarking on this journey with me. **

**Now, one comment was confused as to whether or not Quinn would make it to New York by Friday like she was supposed to. I hope this chapter cleared everything up. She is late in getting to NYC, but do not worry, we will have a Faberry reunion next chapter. **

**Lastly, I still do not own Glee or Chernobyl Diaries, so do not sue me. All I own are my characters Hunter, Daniel, Sophia, and Thomas. I hope you all like Thomas! He was a lot of fun for me to write! Until next time everyone! **

_Back to the Present - _

Daniel and Sophia were completely engrossed in the story being told by their mommy. This was actually the longest time that either child has spent sitting still since they started to crawl. When Rachel took a break from speaking, Daniel interjected. "Mommy, what was New York like, and why did you freak out over your voice?"

Rachel didn't expect for the question to bring the onslaught of emotions that it did. She thought that she had dealt with all of this a long time ago, but apparently the scars of the dreams she once held were much deeper than she liked to acknowledge. Quinn felt her wife's body tense up and silently offered her comfort by using the arm that was wrapped around the petite form to pull the woman closer into her. Rachel appreciated the sentiment, and swallowed the lump in her throat in order to speak. "Well sweethearts, do you know how your mommy teaches English and Music at school?" When she got sight of both children nodding, she continued on. "Before the outbreak, I wanted to be a star on this big stage called Broadway in New York. I even got into a special school for singing and acting which was in the city."

Sophia being much more of the quiet observer noticed that her mommy was starting to get a little sad which she never liked. "You have a pretty voice mommy. All of my friends think so." Just like her mom, the young girl was one of very little words, but those words were meant to tell her mommy in her own way that she was still a star. There may not be a Broadway anymore, and the reservation didn't have anything that even came close to it, but anyone that has had heard Rachel sing still was in awe of her voice. Quinn and Rachel's dreams had to take a drastic change when the virus spread. For Rachel there was no Broadway, and for Quinn there were no more TV shows or movies for her to act in, and even though these things still struck a bit of a nerve deep within them, they knew that they were lucky to just be alive. Rachel decided to become a teacher, which one evening lead to a small fight between the two women when Quinn thought it funny to sarcastically compare her to Mr. Schue. If Quinn remembered correctly, Rachel was insulted that Quinn would compare her to a man that although seemed to have good intentions, was still a horrendous teacher on many accounts who displayed obvious favoritism and used his students as a way for him to live out his failed attempts at stardom. This of course ended with a perfect diva storm out from bedroom with Quinn trailing not far behind to try and calm down the frustrated woman. Quinn, on the other hand, became a photographer. It was a small hobby that she loved and decided to make a career out of since they didn't have college degrees, and there were little things that they could do in their small reservation. Plus, her job gave the other survivors a small sense of normalcy and allowed people to create memories.

Rachel smiled at her daughter in her lap and quickly kissed her temple. "Thank you Sophie." Daniel always one to not be left out of the loop took this moment to bring up his next urgent question. "Mommy, where was mom?" Daniel then looked to Quinn as if she held all of the answers which caused the blonde to giggle. "Patience Daniel. Your mother will tell you the beginning of her story," Rachel responded. The brunette could practically hear her wife's voice in her head pointing out to her once again how similar Daniel was to her younger self. Of course, she would never outwardly admit that Quinn was right. Although she has grown and matured over the years, she was still quite stubborn. If anything, she would just say that Daniel has only acquired her best personality traits.

Quinn knew that was her cue to begin her tale. The tale of how sheer determination and honestly luck brought her back to Rachel all of those years ago. She couldn't take all the credit though. If it wasn't for her wife's "sixth sense," she may not have ever found her, and then, well, she didn't like to think about that. Thinking about what could've happened if she had never found Rachel was something that she strayed very far away from. Anyway, she was getting ahead of herself. It's always better to start at the beginning. "Well, in Connecticut, we didn't have any word on the infection at all…"

_The Day of The Outbreak, New Haven, CT - _

Quinn was in the campus library doing some research for a paper that was due at the end of the semester when she heard some screaming coming from one of the lower floors of the library. It must have been quite a lot of racket for it to have been heard on her floor since the only way the sound would travel would be through the vents and stairwell. She tried to ignore whatever was going on for the time being until she had to reread the same sentence five times due to her concentration now being elsewhere. "For Christ's sake," Quinn whispered to herself as she exited the tab on her laptop. It was obvious that she was not going to get any work done until the campus's public safety finally decided to get to the scene and break up whatever was happening, so she called it a day. There was packing that she needed to do for the weekend anyway.

After packing her Macbook and other materials into her shoulder bag, Quinn got up and headed towards the stairwell that seemed to be the most quiet. Little did she know that her low tolerance for bullshit would be what possibly saved her life that night. After she walked down the five flights of stairs to the first floor, Quinn's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she turned the corner and saw what appeared to be a riot of some sort in the main lobby. She quickly went back around the corner and rested her back against the wall. "What is going on?" Is all she could think to herself in that moment. There wasn't a cause being rallied for around campus to her knowledge, and it wasn't like Yale was a school where this would be a common occurrence. When a few seconds went by, the blonde knew that she would not get any answers if she continued to hide against this wall like a coward. She at least needed to look and see what appeared to be happening. Careful to not draw any attention to herself, Quinn peaked around the corner again, and for the first time took a closer look at what was happening just a few feet away from her. Upon closer inspection, she realized that there was no way that this was jus your normal riot. There were students running away from other students, and people were biting into others. It was like looking at a car accident. Quinn knew that she should look away and find a safe way out of the library, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene.

As she continued to look, Quinn noticed something about the people who were doing the biting. Their skin was pealing and there was something, besides the whole them biting other people ordeal, that looked wrong about them. They looked ill. Quinn began looking around to see if she could come up with an exit strategy. The only exit that she could see besides the main entrance doors was on the other side from where she was. She would have to sneak her way across the main lobby to the other side without being detected. It was either that, or stand frozen in her current position and hope that she somehow wouldn't be detected. The second option seemed rather stupid, so she decided to brace herself and briskly walk the distance.

Quinn placed one foot in front of the other and got about ten steps away from the sanctuary of her corner before she was spotted. "Shit" she cursed under her breath as she saw one of the sickly land his eyes on her. For some reason, Quinn was frozen in place as this diseased man made his way towards her. When he got about two feet in front of her, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the impact. What she ended up feeling was the complete opposite of what she expected. Someone grabbed her left arm, yanked her away from the jaws of the man, and into the safety of the library's computer lab. Her body collided into the arms of a strong build, and when she looked up, she almost cried from relief. The man who had just saved her life was her close friend Thomas Avery.

"What the hell, Quinn? You just stood there and offer yourself like a turkey on Thanksgiving day?" His southern drawl was always something that made Quinn's lips curl up into a smile. Even though the situation they were both in was serious, she was glad that she could still find even the tiniest hint of amusement in the little things. "Thank you Tom. I don't know what happened back there," Quinn quietly spoke. The tall man, who was easily at least six feet tall, just rolled his eyes at the girl and gave her a quick hug. "No need to mention it, sugar. Let's just focus on gettin' out of here." Thomas, went back to the door to see if there was anyone nearby to stop them from making their escape. Quinn couldn't help but think that his ginger hair might make it a little bit more difficult for him to be stealthy, but her musings were immediately halted by Tom's deep southern voice once again. "Alright, it looks like we're going to have to make a break for it and hope for the best. You run in front of me, and I'll be right behind ya. We'll head straight for your dorm since it's what's closer." The seriousness of his voice caused Quinn to nod in agreement without even thinking twice. "Alright, on come over here then." Quinn walked towards him and stood right in front of the door with Thomas behind her holding his hand on the door handle. "On the count of three Quinn, I'm going to open this door, and you're going to run out of her faster than a scalded dog, do ya hear me?" To say that she never understood some of his southern sayings was a very large underestimate. She assumed that he meant for her to run really fast, so once again, she nodded in agreement. The former head cheerleader made fists with her hands and forced herself to remember exactly who she was. Yes, she has changed for the better in many ways in the last year, but deep down she was a girl who excelled in trainings given by Sue Sylvester, and those things out in that lobby had nothing on that woman. With a new determination, Quinn got herself ready and only faintly remembered hearing Tom scream three. As soon as that door opened, Quinn took off in the direction of the exit with her friend hot on her heels.

The sound of Quinn pushing open the exit door echoed through the building, but the duo didn't care. In their minds, they were scot-free. That mindset quickly disappeared when they got a look at outside. It appears that the disease was spreading much faster than the news report Quinn heard Rachel give her originally stated, and now it was taking over her campus. This thought immediately shook the blonde to her core because if her campus was now under attack, then what was happening in New York? All that thought did was cause Quinn's legs to move impossibly faster. She ran like a bat out of hell towards her dorm. Within ten minutes she arrived at her destination and swiped her ID card to grant her access into the building, but she didn't stop there. Quinn continued at her pace up the two floors of stairs that led to her room. The only time she finally stopped running was to reach in her bag and pull out her keys to her room. Her breathing was labored and her hands were shaking a bit, but she finally opened the door and hurried inside. Tom closed the bedroom door behind her, and put his hands on his knees to try and catch his breath. Thomas was the first one to break the silence. "Well, butter my butt and call me biscuit! I had no idea that a lady such as yourself could run like that." Quinn finally looked up from trying to catch her own breath and just smirked. "Goes to show you and any guy that cheerleading is a sport." Tom shook his head and remembered that now was not the time to get into an argument about how when comparing cheerleading to something like football, there was no way they were on the same level. "Whatever you say little lady. Right now, I need you to grab a bag and pack as much clothes and necessities in it as possible. We need to get out of here. Oh, and I wouldn't pack many little numbers like the one you've got on now. Dresses like that won't do you much good now." Quinn sighed and only nodded.

Quinn walked to her closet and grabbed one of her old cheerios duffle bags. She stuffed her bag with some jeans, tanks, t shirts, sneakers, jackets, and some pictures. Everything was moving so quickly that she didn't really have time to think and absorb it all which she was in a way thankful for. She didn't have time to think about how her roommate Sarah wasn't in the room, or if her mom back in Lima was alright. It wasn't until her eyes caught the sight of something on her desk that she froze. There sitting on her desk was the confirmation of her train schedule to New York for tomorrow. She could feel Tom's eyes looking as her curiously which caused her to look up and lock her hazel eyes with his green. "I'm going to New York. I doubt I'll be able to get there tomorrow, but that's where I'm going." Something about the sternness of her voice and fury in her eyes made Tom not question her declaration. "Whatever you need to do darlin'. I'm sure we'll be able to find you an abandoned car or something. I'm just not letting you leave until I teach you how to handle yourself out there." Quinn did one of her signature eyebrow arches which allowed her to ask for clarification without even speaking a work. Luckily, Tom picked up on this after being around the blonde for half of a semester. "I'm a typical southern Joe, Quinn. I'm going to teach you to at least shoot some guns before I let you go off on your own. Then, you can go to New York while I head back to my own kin in Texas." Although the idea of taking time to do everything that Tom just listed, Quinn knew he was right. She wouldn't do Rachel any good if she got to New York only to get herself or even worse both of them infected. No, she needed to learn what she could so she could protect them both. Then, she would make her way to Rachel. "Alright. How are we going to get the guns though?" Quinn asked. Thomas smirked before responded. "Just grab your things and follow me. I'll get us what we need."

The rest of the day from that moment on was all a blur for Quinn. They had left her dorm room and headed quickly to Tom's before making their way to his truck. Even though she was not as big about her religion as she was in the past, Quinn still silently thanked God for giving her the luck to be friends with one of the few freshmen on campus with a car. From there, Tom quickly drove them about thirty minutes into town. Things in Connecticut were already looking dark. There was absolute chaos everywhere. Windows into stores were broken, cars on fire from colliding into trees, poles, or other vehicles, and there were even a few dead people on the roads. Quinn guessed that some of the civilians that haven't been infected were already beginning to protect themselves.

The drive to what ended up being the gun shop was filled with thinking on the blonde's part. Her mind was trying to wrap around how something like this could happen and realizing that her concern was only truly on a few people. She could see that Tom's immediate concern was on his family like most people's would be, but Quinn had lost the connection to her family long ago. Yes, things with her mother had been improved to some degree after she took her back in, but the same love and trust was never rekindled on Quinn's part. The first concern that was haunting her like a ghost within her mind was her daughter, Beth. In that moment, Quinn had never hated her decision to go so far away from Lima more in her life. How could she have left her baby behind? What if Shelby didn't have the capabilities to protect her? How could an innocent baby survive something like this? These were the thoughts that plagued Quinn's mind. These were the thoughts that made her weak. As a stray tear made it's way down her cheek, Quinn closed her eyes and made a decision. In that moment, she mourned the death of the memory of her daughter. Yes, most people would find that heartless and question her capabilities as a mother, but it was what she needed to do. Even though her heart so desperately wanted to hold on to the hope that she was alive, Quinn knew that this would only eat at her every second that she was away from her daughter. It would tear her focus away from her own survival, and she couldn't let that happen. The truth was that Beth was no longer her responsibility. That is why she left Lima, and that is why she gave her away in the first place. She choose Shelby to be Beth's mom because she knew that she could give her daughter everything that a sixteen year old Quinn could not, and she had to hope that carried over to this situation right now. Shelby took care of her baby. That is what she had to believe to get through this.

The truck came to a stop in front of a gun shop that appeared to be in a small town. Tom looked to Quinn as he cut off the ignition. "It doesn't look like this one has been raided as much as the others. Let's get in there, take what we can carry, and get out." Quinn wasn't going to be big on words for some time, so she simply nodded and moved to get out of the vehicle after checking to make sure no infected were around. She then followed Thomas into the store which was surprisingly in pretty good condition. Somehow most of the merchandise were still on the shelves and in the cases. Quinn was quick to grab everything and anything that looked like it could be of use. First, she followed Tom to grab some holsters. He handed her one that went around her back and shoulders, another for her waist, and then two for her thighs. "Aright sugar, go pick out guns that you think you can handle. Make it fast though. I don't want us here for too long." Silently, Quinn went to walk around the shop and pick out the guns that appealed to her, but also looked efficient. She ended up picking two Colt 911A1 .45 ACPs, two CZ 75s, one Glock 17 with chrome sides, one Beretta 92FS, and one Heckler & Koch MP5A2 with a strap to go over her shoulder. Once she selected her weapons, she walked back towards Tom who had quite the arsenal of his own. He smiled at her selection and began loading a bag that he had collected for her with as much ammunition as he could fit into it. It was apparent that she would not be running out of bullets anytime soon. Next, they both grabbed some clothing that appeared useful from the store as well. After they were positive that they had everything that they would need, they headed out back towards the truck. Tom held one of his AK 47 shot guns up and only had to fire two shots into two of the infected before they were safely back in their vehicle.

He started up the engine and began driving them to a remote location where they could spend the night. Due to the sheer exhaustion that the day's events caused, Quinn ended up falling asleep in the truck while Tom was driving. The southern gentleman didn't have the heart to wake her, so once he found what appeared to be a safe spot, he cut off the engine and tried to catch a few hours of sleep as well. The next three days flew by quickly in Quinn's mind. It didn't take long for Quinn to get the hang of shooting the guns or how to aim well, but Thomas would not agree to help her leave until he was sure that she was ready. A part of her was thankful that he was taking such precaution with her, but a bigger part of her was frustrated. Every day she spent learning how to shoot or combat, Rachel was on her own. Finally, on the third day, Thomas agreed to help her pick up an abandoned car and send her on her way. After searching for about two hours, Quinn finally landed her eyes on a black 2011 Jeep Wrangler Sport that still had the keys in the ignition. The car was parked in front of a middle school, which led Quinn to the conclusion that the owner of the car most likely ran inside in a hurry for his/her children.

Due to their surroundings, and the fact that they could be attacked at any moment, the duo didn't have time for a long goodbye. Quinn holstered her Beretta, and looked up at the friend that has become very dear to her over the past couple of days. Thomas looked down at her with a small smile before wrapping her up in his arms. "You be careful, you hear? I plan to see you when this mess blows over." His optimism was something that she would truly miss she thought as she returned his embrace. "You too, Tom. Thank you for everything." Thomas simple pulled at the top of his cowboy had that he had picked up along the way and bowed his head in response. With that Quinn hopped in the Jeep, started the engine, and gave one final wave before taking off. She was two days late, but she hoped that Rachel was still okay. The alternative was not an option. Throughout everything that Quinn has been through, Rachel has been the one thing that has stayed constant in her life even when she didn't want the brunette to be, and Quinn was not ready for that to change now. "I'm coming Rae. Just hold on, I'm coming."


	4. Is It Really You?

**Author's Notes: To all of you who have commented, alerted, or marked this story as your favorite, you are awesome! You all keep me motivated to keep this story going! **

**Finally, we have a Faberry reunion! I hope you all like it! Next chapter will be some more Faberry, and then them starting on their journey back to Lima.**

**Lastly, I still do not own Glee or Chernobyl Diaries, so do not sue me. All I own are my characters Hunter, Daniel, Sophia, and Thomas. **

_Monday November 12__th__ - _

Luckily, the drive from New Haven to New York City is no longer than an hour and a half, and since there weren't exactly any people driving on the highway, Quinn didn't exactly have to worry about traffic. She was three days late. Three days. It took all the willpower Quinn had to try and not think of everything that could've happened to Rachel. The thought of her perhaps getting bitten was too much for her to handle. All the blonde kept asking herself was, "Could I kill Rachel if I saw that had been infected and take her out of her misery?" The logical answer to that question would've been yes. It wouldn't be like she killed Rachel because the brunette would no longer be the girl that Quinn cared for. Her brain was screaming the answer as loud as it could, but her heart was a treacherous traitor.

As she thought back on it all, Quinn had no idea when she had become so dependent on the other girl. All she knew was that whenever the blonde was at her worst and needed someone, Rachel was always the one who was there to put the pieces back together. The amount of times this happened was actually emotionally exhausting just to think about. Everything from letting out the secret of the paternity of her child to being the first person that saw her as something more than just a beautiful face was due to Rachel Berry. The forgiving, kind, and stunning Rachel Berry. How had Quinn ever seen her as anything less? Was it jealousy, fear, or having grown up in a repressive household for the majority of her life? If Quinn was honest with herself, it was probably a mixture of everything, but now, all the blonde wanted was another chance to hear Rachel talk a mile a minute about anything. There was so much that she hasn't told the diva, and she would be damned if Rachel had been taken away from her before she got the chance. That is why she believed that the petite singer had somehow found a way to survive this. Rachel always had a plan, and Quinn was hoping that she somehow had a plan for this.

At six in the morning, Quinn drove past the sign that greeted her into New York and was relieved that things so far were going smoothly. Driving over the Manhattan Bridge was a bit of a hassle since there were cars stranded along the road, but with some maneuvering, Quinn made it across. When she got her first glimpse at Manhattan, the blonde's eyes widened significantly. The city of bright lights and opportunity didn't look anything like she remembered from junior year. There was debris everywhere, broken glass along the streets, abandoned stores, and people laying face down on sidewalks with bullet wounds being their cause of death. As morbid as it was, the sight of the dead gave Quinn hope. It gave her hope that there were other survivors who hadn't been infected yet, and that made her hope that maybe Rachel was one of them. Even though she couldn't imagine Rachel Berry in her animal sweaters or sinfully short skirts firing a gun, Quinn knew that if there was anyone who could adapt in a crisis, it was the brunette. Plus, Quinn doubts that anyone would've imagined her shooting a Berretta in one of her sun dresses either.

For some reason that she couldn't explain, Quinn's instincts were telling her to drive to Grand Central Station. That was where she was supposed to meet Rachel three days ago, and the former cheerleader knew that the likelihood of the other girl being there now was slim to none, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was supposed to go there. With a shrug of her shoulders, Quinn followed the signs throughout the city that led her towards her destination. It wasn't like she knew another starting point anyway. At least if nothing else, she could get a map.

Less than two miles away from Grand Central Station was Rachel Berry. Last night Rachel had decided that she would leave for Lima come the morning. She couldn't wait any longer. Not hearing from her fathers was driving the girl completely insane, as was being on her own. It's been four days since the outbreak, and Rachel hasn't heard from anyone. As much as she tried to keep her mind busy, her thoughts always seemed to go back to a certain blonde. It was as if her mind had a teeter totter as to which thought it would switch back and forth from. Whenever she wasn't internally panicking and worrying about her fathers, her mind was on Quinn and vice versa. It was rather mentally exhausting, and it didn't help that Rachel seemed to have conveniently develop a sleeping problem as well.

Whenever the young girl would close her eyes at night to try and get at least a few hours of rest, her imagination would decide to have a field day with every worst case scenario imaginable. The nightmares would alter from her fathers being attacked to Quinn, and even some other members of the New Directions. One of the worst nightmares that caused Rachel to wake up in a cold sweat was the one where Barbra herself had been the one to infect her daddy Hiram. As creepy as it was, Don't Rain On My Parade was also playing in the background of her subconscious. Needless to say, a good nights sleep has been hard to come by.

At five thirty in the morning, Rachel's alarm went off to alert her that it was time to move. It appeared as if the infected still needed to rejuvenate at some times during the day, so she decided that it would be wisest to leave in the hours of the early morning. After swinging her legs over the side of her bed and sighing at another failed attempt to get some sleep, Rachel stood up, stretched out he muscles, and then walked over to her desk to grab the checklist of necessities for her to pack before her departure. As a yawn left her mouth, she walked over to the black duffle bag that she had gotten from the hunting store and proceeded to go through her checklist one last time. Ammunition, check, arrows, check, blanket, check, four pairs of pants, check, shirts, check, maps, check, and lastly food, check. Everything seemed to be in order, which meant that now all Rachel had to was get herself ready and leave.

She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and just let her hair dry into it's natural wavy state. Honestly, she did not see any need for make up or straightening her hair when there was a possible apocalypse occurring. If anyone that she came across decided to care about her appearance at a time like this, well, she would be concerned for their mental health. The outfit that she decided to go with was her black cargo pants, long sleeved under armour shirt, and then a jacket over it to complete the ensemble. Slipping on a pair of boots that she had managed to scrounge up as well as putting on her gun holster, and Rachel was ready to leave her dorm room by six am.

Rachel, first grabbed her duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder, before grabbing the carrier that held some of her arrows and slinging it over as well. When she walked towards her door to leave, Rachel turned around and took one last look at her dorm room. Her leaving in that moment was just her embarking on an incredibly dangerous journey to Lima alone, but it was also a metaphor for her walking away from her dreams. There was no more Broadway, no more NYADA, and no more looking forward to seeing her name in bright lights. That Rachel Berry was gone and replaced by a Rachel whose dream was now to survive and find as many people that she held dear alive as she could. After allowing one last tear to fall for the dream that died before it even began, Rachel turned around, opened her door, and walked out into the dangerous New York City streets without looking back.

When she stepped outside and felt the chilly and clear fall breeze against her cheek and neck, a thought popped into Rachel's mind. Her sixth sense was telling her to go and check Grand Central Station one time for Quinn. Even though that Rachel knew that it was most likely improbable, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe her friend had made it to New York City. Afterall, Quinn wouldn't know where Rachel's dorm was, and if she made it, she would then most likely try and find refuge within the large station. Logistics said that the probability of this happening was slim to none, but that didn't mean that it was entirely impossible which was enough of a reason for Rachel to start walking in the direction of the iconic Grand Central Station.

Quinn parked her car in front of the gorgeous building and sat there in awe for a moment. The front of the building was beautiful with it's large pillars and incredible antique looking clock on the very top. Even though Quinn could see the obvious external beauty of the building, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the terror that more than likely awaited her inside. Once she took a few breaths to collect herself, Quinn's eyes snapped open. She turned off the ignition, took out the keys, grabbed her Heckler & Koch MP5A2 off of her passenger seat, and opened her driver's side door. Right after her boot covered feet touched the pavement below her, she closed her door and began walking up the stairs towards the main entrance.

She quietly pushed open the glass door and began to walk forward slowly. Her gun was always at the ready in case of anything. The infected were much more sneaky than she originally gave them credit for, but ever since her early encounters with them, she refused to ever be caught off guard again. It wasn't long before she entered the main lobby, and her eyes took a moment to try and take it all in. Everything from the four face brass clock to the amazing sky ceiling was breath taking. The moment of tranquility was short lived when out of the corner of her eye Quinn saw something move near the train main gates. She turned towards the movement and began walking forward, and within seconds of her entering the main area, there were at least ten infected waiting for her. "Shit," Quinn thought to herself, but immediately stopped herself from panicking. She had the guns, and they did not. All they had was their oddly morphed speed and cross bites which in retrospect were nothing in comparison to the speed and fatality of a bullet. With a smirk on her face, Quinn took aim and fired a shot right into the head of a middle aged infected woman. The smirk was quickly wiped off of her face though when she heard how loud the echo of her shot was in the building. As she continued taking aim and taking down the threats around her, all she could do was pray that a hoard wasn't on their way because of all the noise.

While Quinn was inside dealing with what could potentially be quite the major problem, Rachel was just approaching the main stairs of Grand Central. So far her theory about there being less infected activity during the early hours of the day was proving to be true since she had made it the entire way so far without incident. Just as she was beginning to applaud herself for her clever thinking, she heard what sounded like a gun shot coming from the very place she was heading towards. Her fist immediately tightened around her bow, and for a moment she considered the pros and cons of entering the building. Rachel knew that the loud noise from the gun would attract more of the infected which was clearly a con, but if her theory was correct and Quinn was in that building, then it became a no contest. Without a second thought, Rachel ran up the stairs and quietly entered through the main doors. After entering the building, she saw a swarm of the infected going towards whomever was doing the shooting. Rachel quickly reached onto her shoulder and grabbed one of her arrows. She was instantly calmed when she saw the feather tip in fingers, and then put her arrow in position. Quickly taking aim, Rachel pulled the string back until it was as tight as it could be and then released. Her shot hit an infected perfectly in the back of the head, and with that her confidence grew.

Quinn noticed that some of the diseased people were falling on the floor, but she heard no gunshots and couldn't exactly move her line of vision to see if there was someone else with her. Just as Quinn took out a kid that couldn't be more than sixteen years old in front of her, she saw two more infected coming towards her at the same pace on her right. She immediately took care of one of them, but just as she was going to move to the other, she felt a breeze of win pass by her cheek and then saw an arrow go right in between the eyes of the second infected. Quinn's back was to whomever just saved her life, so at that point she turned around and couldn't believe what she saw. Right in front of her was Rachel freaking Berry acting like she was Robin Hood.

Rachel was doing good work of taking down the swarm of infected and decreasing their numbers. So far she had eliminated six of them, and whomever she was working with had killed at least a dozen or so. After she handled some of the ones that decided to acknowledge her presence and come towards her, she looked up and saw that two of them were approaching the blonde haired woman. "So that is the shooter," Rachel thought to herself. The brunette didn't even have time to think about the fact that the woman had a striking resemblance to the very girl she had entered that building looking for. At that moment, she needed to fire and pray that the woman didn't move her head in the slightest or else the ending of this story will be changed quite drastically. Rachel held her breath the moment the arrow left her bow and only released it when she saw the body of her intended target fall to the ground. When the blonde woman turned towards her, Rachel's breath caught in her throat. "Quinn?" Rachel spoke knowing that it wasn't at all loud enough for the other woman to hear. She took steps forward towards the woman who appeared to be exactly who she was looking for and noticed that the blonde was taking steps towards her as well. When they met in the middle, Rachel's eyes welled up with tears, but she still refused to believe in the image before her. She needed confirmation. "Quinn, is it really you?"

Quinn herself wasn't fairing much better than Rachel. Yes, finding the brunette is exactly what she set out to do, but never did she think that she would find a Rachel Berry clad in cargo pants welding a bow and carrying pistols on her waist. Her body's immediate reaction was to be turned on by the sight in front of her, but her mind snapped it out of its reverie quickly when she noticed the petite body making steps towards her. Quinn too took strides towards the woman and when they were right in front of each other, the former HBIC heard Rachel speak. The voice brought an immediate smile to her face, and she nodded in response to her question. "It's me Rae." In the blind of an eye, Quinn found herself with arms full of Rachel Berry. After a moment to get over the shock of her personal space being invaded, Quinn encircled her own arms over the small yet firm shoulders and rested her head on top of Rachel's.

After about a minute, Rachel disentangled herself from Quinn and looked up at her with one of her signature mega watt smiles. "I'm…" Her sentence was cut short with the sound of a bang. "Oh dear Barbra, what now?" At any other moment, Quinn would've giggled at the phrase that only Rachel Berry could make work, but right then, she was more concerned about the swarm of twenty or so infected making their way towards them from the west. As they looked towards the exit, there was a little bit smaller group making it's way up the stairs and towards the entrance. Quinn knew that as soon as they got to her car, they would be scot-free, so she began walking towards the entrance. Her Heckler & Koch MP5A2 was out of bullets, so she slung it back over her arm and pulled out her two Colt 911A1 .45 ACPs. "Follow me, Rae. I can get us out of here."

Without even a word of question or debate, which was shocking for the typically verbose Rachel Berry, the brunette followed the blonde's lead. As they walked back towards the entrance doors, Rachel took out another arrow and put it in place. Quinn looked back over her shoulder towards the diva, "Are you ready?" Rachel gave a small laugh and responded with, "As ready as I am going to be, Quinn." Satisfied with her answer, Quinn pushed open the door and immediately began firing. She walked down the stairs a bit to get in closer range for her shots while Rachel stayed at the top of the stairs and used the height to her advantage. The two girls made a very good team together. Rachel's archery skills allowed her to act like a sniper in some ways and take out the infected that were at the back of the pack, while Quinn handled the ones in the front. Just as Rachel loaded another arrow in and pulled the string back to fire, she heard the main doors behind her open. In the blink of an eye she pivoted on her back left foot and fired at the infected that was less than a foot away from her.

Quinn heard the noise as well, and after firing at the last threat on the lower level of the stairs, she called out to Rachel. "Rae, come on! Forget about them and let's get out of here!" Realizing that she was indeed only left with ten arrows that were easily accessible, Rachel concluded that retreating was in fact the best road to take. She fired one last arrow at the closest threat to her before turning and running down the stairs towards the blonde. Quinn immediately got out her keys, ran to her Jeep, and unlocked the doors. Rachel reached the Jeep only about thirty seconds after Quinn did and wasted no time getting into the vehicle. Once Rachel was safely inside, Quinn locked the doors, turned on the ignition, and peeled out of there.

After they were far enough out of harm's way, Quinn slowed the car down and allowed herself to catch her breath. Rachel also took the time to remove her satchel and duffle from her back before buckling her seatbelt. "Seatbelt Quinn." Quinn didn't miss a beat and playfully rolled her eyes at the brunette while doing as she was instructed. "Only you would worry about seatbelts during a time like this." As expected, Rachel wasted no time in relaying her counterargument. "Quinn, it seems rather silly for us to survive all the other dangers facing us during this moment in time yet not taking the most simplest of precautions." All Quinn responded with was a smile that threatened to split her face in half. Right when Rachel was going to ask what the smile was for, Quinn broke the brief silence. "I missed you Rae. I'm just… I'm just glad you're okay." Rachel returned the smile and for once found that three words were enough to convey everything that she was feeling in that moment. "Me too, Quinn. Me too."


	5. Bacon, really?

**Author's Notes: I am so sorry that this update took me so long! I was just having a hard time transitioning into this chapter for some reason. To all of you who have commented, alerted, or marked this story as your favorite, you are awesome! **

**You all keep me motivated to keep this story going, and I hope you stick this out with me! Feel free to let me know what you'd like to see in this story in the reviews. I do have an idea of where this story will be heading, and there will be some hard times ahead before some Faberry loving, but suggestions are always welcome.**

**Lastly, I still do not own Glee or Chernobyl Diaries, so do not sue me. All I own are my characters Hunter, Daniel, Sophia, and Thomas. **

Quinn drove them back to the Manhattan bridge before she pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. They had to be far enough out of harms way for now, so it seemed like a good time to touch base with Rachel. It was only natural for her to expect that the other girl had a plan. After all, she wouldn't be surprised if Rachel started planning from the moment she came out of the womb. Her process of drinking bottles was most likely an art form.

Quickly shaking those incredibly odd thoughts out of her mind, Quinn unbuckled her seatbelt before she turned around in her seat to face the brunette. It was the first time that the blonde really looked at her, and the sight she saw caused a slight frown to appear on her delicate features. Rachel looked exhausted. Of course, the ex cheerio couldn't say that she was exactly the prime example of fresh and beautiful in that moment, but she was lucky enough to get at least a couple of hours of sleep while she was with Tom. Quinn reached out and gently placed her hand on Rachel's forearm to grab her attention before speaking.

Rachel for her part was looking out of the car window at the streets that she had at one point called a home. New York was the one place that she had always known she would belong in, and now the city had lost it's magic. It was only a shell of it's former self. Her mind was such a mess of thoughts and emotions that for the first time in her young life she was able to say that she was grateful for the silence. She needed time to process everything. The fact that Quinn was currently sitting beside her seemed to good to be true. The diva had even made sure that she wasn't dreaming by pinching her forearm while the blonde drove them towards…. well, Rachel didn't really know where. Just as she was about to question their destination, the brunette saw the car come to a stop. It wasn't long after that until she heard Quinn's soft voice fill the small space of the car. "What's your plan, Rae?"

Four small words was all it took to bring at least the smallest bit of familiarity to a situation that should feel like anything but that. Rachel turned her head to look at the beautiful girl beside her and gave her a small smile. After taking in a breathe of air and then releasing it, Rachel spoke. "Well Quinn, I plan on going back to Lima. I need to see if my fathers are well, and I hope that you would agree to come with me. It would make the journey much easier for a multitude of reasons, and I would feel much better if I knew that you were safe by my side." The words flew easily from her mouth as she maintained eye contact with Quinn. She hoped that her eyes conveyed how much she wanted Quinn to join her because she didn't think that there were enough words that could.

Quinn listened as Rachel took three minutes to explain something that could've most likely been done in a sentence. It never ceased to amaze her how Rachel was like a walking Webster's dictionary. This trait was one that used to aggravate the blonde, but now she only found it impressive and slightly endearing. Honestly, the breathing control that Rachel must have when she rambles is nothing short of jaw dropping. As she listened to the singer's plan, she only mulled it over in her head for a minute before nodding. Realizing that Rachel would most likely appreciate words instead of silent movements of affirmation, Quinn replied. "I'm in. It's only about a ten hour drive anyway." As she spoke the end of her thought, she shrugged to show how much she truly didn't mind the idea. Quinn would rather cut off her left arm than let Rachel set out alone with no car or help. Plus, the beaming smile that she got in return from said brunette was enough to solidify her decision. Hell, she was sure that she would agree to almost anything Rachel concocted in that head of hers if it caused that smile.

Giving one last nod, Quinn turned back around, put on her seatbelt (she was so not about to hear that rant again), and turned on the ignition. As soon as she put the car in drive, she saw out of the corner of her eye Rachel mumbling and riffling through her bag for something. The blonde almost weaved into the next lane when Rachel pulled out a folded piece of paper, and pumped it into the air while practically screaming "ah ha!"

Just when Quinn was going to scold the other girl for nearly giving her a heart attack, Rachel turned to her with an excited expression on her face and unfolded what appeared to be a map while speaking. "I've looked up the most efficient route for us to take and highlighted possible places we could stop to pick up more ammunition and basic necessities." The former HBIC could only playfully roll her eyes while responding with a simple "Of course you have." While Rachel continued to tell Quinn every detail of their journey, all the blonde could do was keep a firm smile on her face and prepare for the very long ride.

Six hours later the two girls were getting off of the interstate and driving into a main city within Pennsylvania bickering like children. Over what you might ask? Well, of course the only logical answer to that question was bacon. Yes, Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray were currently having an argument over bacon.

"Quinn, I will not allow you to drag us into a Stop & Shop just so you can clear out their section of bacon! It is an unnecessary risk, and it is not in my plans. I have not allotted time for this!" Rachel huffed and crossed her arms. Quinn was actually quite positive that she would've stomped one of her feet if she was standing.

The blonde on the other hand was simply tuning Rachel out. It seemed like all of those years of practice had paid off as she continued driving towards her destination. "Rachel, it could maybe be the end of the world. I am not going to let some of the last good bacon left expire when I could be enjoying it."

"You, Quinn Fabray, are being completely and utterly unreasonable. I am not about to risk my life so you can indulge in eating a poor defenseless animal that was killed so you could enjoy a greasy strip of meat."

"Oh, she brought out the vegan guns," Quinn thought. Normally, she would never be one to fight against Rachel's beliefs and dietary preferences, but just thinking about never having bacon again made her nauseous. A small part of her knew that she was being ridiculous, but ever since her pregnancy, her craving for bacon has been strong and fierce. So, it was with this thought in her mind that she delivered a low blow to get what she wanted. "But Rae, think about it. If I don't get this, then those poor defenseless pigs would've been killed for absolutely nothing except to spoil."

Rachel's head whipped around towards Quinn so fast that the blonde actually believed that she would experience self induced whiplash. The glare that the small brunette sent her way was also pretty intense. Quinn knew that her and Santaa becoming friends towards the end of senior year was a bad idea. "I do not even have words to describe how despicable that argument is. You used my love of animals against me. If we don't go, I will have nightmares of little pigs for weeks. I am not willing to tarnish my conscious. You better just hope that my aim is still perfect while I am behind you. I would hate for me to accidentally shoot an arrow into your behind."

Quinn never took her eyes off the road. She only smirked. "Well, just keep your eyes off my ass then."

The black Jeep turned into the deserted parking lot of the Stop & Shop and pulled into a handicap parking space near the front. Rachel gave her an odd look which Quinn easily replied to. "What? Your height doesn't count as a handicap?" Normally, Rachel would be incredibly insulted at such a remark, but there was no hiding the glint in Quinn's eyes when she quickly turned towards her as she unbuckled her seatbelt. So, instead Rachel just quickly shook her head at the girl's antics and then turned her focus towards getting the supplies she would need for this possible disaster.

Once she was sure that she had enough arrows and ammunition for both of her guns on her holster, Rachel stepped out of the car and moved to where Quinn was. The blonde was leaning against the hood of the car inspecting one of her Colt pistols, but quickly looked up with a small smile once she saw Rachel was ready. "Let's get me some bacon," the blonde slightly cheered. The phrase caused Rachel to giggle as she followed Quinn's lead into the supermarket.

"Quinn, did you know that you sound like that dog from those bacon treat commercials?"

It didn't take long for Rachel's fast strides to put her beside Quinn. As soon as the blonde had Rachel in her sight, she arched her signature eyebrow in response to the comparison. "I'm just going to ignore that."

Before stepping towards the sliding glass doors, both girls prepared themselves for whatever could meet them on the other side. Quinn held her pistol out in front of her, and Rachel reached behind her back to grab an arrow. It seemed like both girls picked up a silent form of communication in tense situations because with just a nod from Rachel, Quinn walked forward and into the store.

As soon as they walked in, an obnoxious chime sounded off which would of course announce their presence. "Oh great, it's like they're being called to dinner," Quinn sarcastically mumbled. Rachel decided to bite her tongue instead of retorting with a response that pointed out how they wouldn't even be in the situation if it weren't for the blonde's ridiculous cravings for bacon.

In the blink of an eye, Rachel pivoted on her left foot and turned to the right. While in the motion, she pulled up her bow, pulled back the arrow, and fired. The zombie a good fifteen feet away collapsed with a thud. As if she could hear the question going through Quinn's mind, Rachel quietly responded with, "I have impeccable hearing, Quinn." The blonde just smiled at how the singer made it sound like it was the most obvious explanation in the world. Everyone should know that dedicating your life to singing and Broadway would make you James Bond in a zombie apocalypse.

Only six more zombies appeared from within the supermarket which were relatively simple for both girls to take down. Once the coast was clear, Quinn began walking towards the section of the store where the bacon would be, but stopped when she heard a pair of footsteps walking quickly in the opposite direction of her. About five seconds later, Rachel freaking Berry was gleefully walking back towards her pushing a shopping cart. While the brunette looked far too happy, Quinn was just an inch away from face palming. "Quinn, you go get your cruel form of food, and I will pick up some more healthy options. Call for me if you require any assistance." Before Quinn even had the chance to retort, the brunette spit fire was already heading towards the produce section.

Forty five minutes later, Rachel and Quinn were walking out of the grocery store with two coolers filled with supplies along with a couple of bags. Yes, Rachel still insisted on bagging the groceries much to Quinn's displeasure. After loading everything into the back, both girl's settled into the car and resumed their trip back to Lima.

"I can't believe you only let me bring back three pounds of bacon, Rae." Quinn did a small pout just for good measure.

"Quinn, I will not be assisting in keeping zombies from making you a three course meal just so you can die from a heart attack. I did however, pick up a pint of that Ben and Jerry's ice cream that you love so much." Rachel attempted to appear annoyed even though the fact that her lips were curling upwards due to the slight look of excitement on Quinn's face was betraying her.

"Phish Food?" The former HBIC tried to play it off nonchalantly, but she really was like a little kid when it came to ice cream. She completely blamed Brittany for this.

Rachel let out a small chuckle and said, "Yes. Let's just hope that we can eat all of the perishable food before they expire," before she grew silent.

Both girls refused to acknowledge the fact that they didn't really count on anyone else being there to help them eat everything. Of course, they got more food than necessary in case any other survivors were found, but neither girl wanted to get their hopes up. That's the way it always is, isn't it? People always try to convince themselves that they are ready for the worst, but no matter how many times it's said the pain never hurts any less if the worst is what's waiting for you.


End file.
